For months moms rush around like a mad-women trying to get everything done and organized for the holiday season. After three months of party planning, cooking, shopping and cleaning moms collapse as the New Year is rung in. Sitting among the remnants of holiday frivolity, it is easy to feel depressed about what has to be done next, to pack everything away and to brave the bleakness of midwinter. However, you can approach the new year with a different objective, to create a living environment that will inspire you and your family to do something great.

Out With the Old

Before you can build something new you have to tear down the old. In the case of post holiday task management this means putting away holiday decorations and giving the house a good once over. As you pack away your holiday stuff organize it and create a special space for it to be stored. This is the first step in organizing your life.

The next step is to de-clutter as you clean. I like to isolate one room at a time when I de-clutter and deep clean. As you go through each room decide what items you use on a regular basis and what items you have not used in a long time. The items that you do not use on a regular basis can be either stored away or discarded. Now do not just throw away the things you do not use, as there is value in these items. Some items you can recycle, some you can sell on eBay and others you can donate to a charitable organization like Goodwill. Track how you dispose of your unused items, as you can deduct the value of your donated items from your tax liability.

The decor of your home is another "old" thing that you will want to address at this point. Since you are already in the work mode, and you are already dismantling your home, now is the perfect time to think about changing the look of your home. Again do this one room at a time so you do not get overwhelmed by the process.

In with the New

Now that your home is clean and prepped for the new you are ready to decide what you need from your home for it to be functional. A good place to start is with your organizational needs. As you were cleaning what problems did you identify? For example, you may notice that small items were collecting in various drawers, or that your pantry was a cluttered mess or that you simply did not have enough storage for the items you wanted to keep. Use these identified problems to create an organizational wish list.

The next step is to really examine each room in your home and determine what it is being used for and what it could be used for. Then come up with a sketch of how you can organize the room and redesign it so that it meets your family's functional need. Add to your organizational wish list the items you need to redesign your rooms.

The final step is to do the work. Go shopping and purchase the organization and decoration items you need for each room. Then complete each room's redesign, one room at a time. To make this process more manageable you may need to focus on completing one room a week or even one room a month. As you redesign your home around your functional needs you will realize how functional your family life can become.

About the author: Madeline Binder has decades of experiencing helping families to problem solve their ways to more functional lives. Her writing reflects this dedication. "Besides all holdiay planning, preparation, and clean-up, most Moms have a job outside the home and have to assist their kids to find science fair experiments for their science fair. Is it any wonder that they need a vacation after their children go back to school!"